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Zedek
Zedek The Black Zedek the Black. Zedek the Eternal. The Walking Dark. The Umbral King. Midnight Emperor. He goes by many names, all of them applicable through the ages. He is known as the first undead, the progenitor and undisputed ruler of the Nightshades, and the most powerful Undead to ever exist. These claims are not far from the truth. Physical Description No one really knows Zedek's true form. He has taken many shapes in his life, and his earlier sightings claim he resembles what we now know as a common Nightwalker; whether this remains his true form, or if he has augmented it permanently, is unknown. What is known, however, is that Zedek possesses power beyond anything a normal Nightwalker could ever hope to possess. Stronger even than the eldest of the dreaded Nightwaves, Zedek is most commonly seen as a towering humanoid figure composed of darkness and crackling negative energy, with four enormous arms and twisted, malevolent horns. Though his eyes are burning blue flames that cast a wide, baleful glow, he often wears a faceless mask over his head, to contain his gaze attack. Significant Powers & Abilities While possessing of the usual cold aura, fearful gaze abilities, and knack for sundering weapons that are shared by all Nightwalkers, Zedek displays the ability to convert positive energy into negative energy, an ability only ever recorded in mythical creatures written of before the dawn of Mandalay's civilizations, creatures the Daedrinar referred to as "The Dark Elders". No one knows Zedek's relation to these creatures, but a scripture of the Natrathian Codex indicates that the Aeternus Tomb (See below) was created not as a cage, but as a phylactery of sorts, which contained the power of one of these "Dark Elders" and separated it from its body. What became of this Dark Elder, and what that would make Zedek, or even if any of this is true, remains a mystery. Early Historical Accounts The first mention of Zedek occurs not in any of Mandalay's history, but in an ancient tome, guarded in the New Mur Archives of Qalinoth, known as the Natrathian Codex. The book mentions the rise of his power during the first onset of the Daedrinar Wars, when Takraet was still under construction. The scriptures indicate that an enormous disturbance was recorded in the Negative Energy Plane, and from this surge was birthed the Walking Dark. This marked the first time that negative energy was recorded spilling onto the material plane, causing large concentrations of skeletal scourges and zombie outbreaks. If a large amount of undead, or indeed any undead at all, were witnessed or encountered before this event, it is not recorded. In these artist renditions of the Walking Dark, Zedek is portrayed as enormous, large enough to stride over planets, wearing enormous and intricate headdresses. The next, and last, time Zedek is referenced in the Codex is long after his escape from the Aeternus Tomb (see below), when he worked with the Daedrinar Emperor Daedolon to sieze the Chaos Sphere and facilitate a Daedrinar invasion (chronicled in "Lightfoot's Descent"). The Aeternus Tomb No one knows how or why Zedek arrived on Mandalay. All that is known is that deep in the Caladrel Woods, buried beneath the soil, was a cage called the Aeternus Tomb, where he'd been sealed since 2834. None of the glyphs or runes on it were ever deciphered. It was on display in the Thaselon Museum of Arcane Intrigue before the cataclysms of 4123, and now only fragments of the tomb remain. He slumbered in this tomb until around 4090, when a cult of undead and Nightshade worshipers calling themselves the Black Hand, performed a series of dark rituals that destroyed the Aeternus Tomb. With the Gauntlet of Graz'zt, the lock on the Tomb was undone and it released Zedek as he is known into Mandalay. Zedek henceforth took possession of the Gauntlet. The Tarrasque The Black Hand, bolstered by the revival of their patron "deity" Zedek, made a crazed attempt to weaponize the Tarrasque. In reality, they merely awoke the great kingdom-killer and directed its ire at Thaselon, the Human Capitol, in 4096. Few understood how Zedek was able to reign in the beast, but it is suspected that a creature known as a Nyssaor may have favored Zedek's goals and agenda. This plan was thwarted openly by the Silver Shield, setting down an enmity that would last through the ages. The Daedrinar Invasion Alongside the Daedrinar Emperor, Daedolon, Zedek's second major ploy for global dominion involved a large, strategic attack staged by a Daedrinar invasion armada. Armed with a weapon known as the Chaos Sphere, the invasion rocked most of Talana and Gwynn to the core, in 4101. This plot was also ended by the Silver Shield, who shattered the Chaos Sphere and forced a reversal of the portal that had brought the Daedrinar to Mandalay. During this battle, Tyrael Deimos struck a killing blow upon Zedek with the mythical Ghoulbane, seemingly destroying him utterly. Despite this, he resurfaced nearly 10 years later. No one is sure how. Betrayal In 4120, Mikael, a known Black Hand member, forcefully took the Gauntlet of Graz'zt from Zedek, drastically weakening his power. The Black Hand splintered, forming into two groups; for the faithful of Zedek, they became the Azure Eyes. The rest bowed to Mikael, and they became Gauntlet. Gauntlet proceeded to commit a genocide on Talana, forcing a mass exodus. During the retaliatory battles, Mikael slew Tyrael Deimos. The Cataclysms Zedek played a multitude of parts in the Cataclysms. During the opening of the World Wound and the Reign of Tetchiklonoc, he tried to use the confusion to further his goal of blotting out the sun. This soon was realized to be little use before the growing power of Karum, which threatened to undo the very fabric of reality. Begrudgingly and after a lengthy battle, Zedek agreed to assist the Sages in destroying the Blightspire. He darkened the skies to give the Sages cover, and wrought the full wrath of the undead upon the Nyssaor with an unliving army. During this battle, he was defeated by Vladimirith in an absolutely titanic battle. Zedek was destroyed, but many postulate that Zedek is an extension of the Negative Energy Plane, or worse, older than it. Either way, though he fell that fateful day, his presence and influence is still felt. Some say that if Ghoulbane cannot slay him, nothing can. Whether he is truly gone, or merely recovering from such destruction, remains to be seen.